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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. hand — in cards
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. drill — the tool
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hand — help
  8. board — to get on
  9. ground — the earth
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ground — crushed
  12. key — the most important part
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. key — for a lock
  16. drill — army training
  17. pound — a weight
  18. board — a committee
  19. ground — a position
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. prune — to trim
  24. drill — a practice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com